Mechanical pack carrier for furnaces



Sept. 29, 19 1. w. NEWBY 1,825,537

MECHANICAL PACK CARRIER FOR FURNACES Filed Oct. 9, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ma [km wa ATTO R NEY Sept. 29-, 1931. w, NEwBY 1,825,537

MECHANICAL PACK CARRIER FOR FURNACES Filed Oct. 9. 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY W. NEWBY MECHANICAL PACK CARRIER FOR FURNACES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 29, 1931.

Filed Oct. 9. 1929 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Sept. 29-, 1931. w. NEWBY 1,825,537

MECHANLCAL PACK CARRIER FOR FURNACES Filed Oct. 9, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jill 1/4 1M2 A/ezm;

INVENTOR Armani veyor 13.,

Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATIENT orrlcs wALrrm-tnEw Y, or ALIQUIPrm'rENnsYLvANIA MECHANICAL PACK CARRIER'YFOTR summons Application. filed October 9, 1929. Serial No.398, 431;

This invention relates to carriers for furnaces, an object being to provide a carrier by means of which sheet metal plates may be passed through a furnaceof astandard type, and uniformly subjected to an even tempera ture. The manner ofhandling the sheets during their passage through the furnace provides for increased production, minimum'roll breakage, and considerably less wear and tear on the mill, as Well as better heating conditions at lower furnace temperatures, andresulting in the elimination of scale, stickers, pinchers, bucklers.

Wth the above and other objects in view,

- T the invention further includesf the following novel features and details of construction, to be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings ,t

Figure 1 is an elevation partly broken away illustrating the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view with a portion of the furnace broken away and shown in sec- I tion.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-'3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4: is an end view with parts broken away.

Figures 5 and'6 are enlargedsectional views taken substantiallyon the lines 55 and 6 6 ofFigure2. p

Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts,the reference character 10 indicates a portion. of a furnace with which the invention is associated The invention which comprises means forfeeding the plates or similar material to and. through the furnace, and for receiving the plates after their passage through said furnace, comprises feeding conveyor 11, a sheet carrying conveyor 12 and a receiving con- The conveyor 11 is supported upon suitable legs orstandards 14 and includes an elongated horizontally disposed table 15 which is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 16. Anendless chain 17 is movable along this slot and is mounted upon sprockets '18 and 19, supported upon shafts which; are roi tatable in suitable bearings.

:The sprocket 18 is mounted upon a shaft 20 and this shaft is driven by a motor 21 through the meclium'of spur gears 22, so that when the motor is in operation, the chain Theseunits are of box-like construction be- 3" ing open along one edge 25.

The units 24 are supported from an endless conveyor chain 26 through the medium of arms 27; These arms are secured to the chain 26 and operate through a passage 28 r vi inthefurnace.

The conveyor chain 26 is of the endlesst'ype andoperates ,around'sprockets 29 and '30, the former sprocket being relatively large. The' upper flight of the conveyor chain 26 is horizontally arranged, so that the lower flight will be inclined upward from the sprocket. '29 to the sprocket 30- as shown in'Figure 3 of'the drawings. The chains 26 carry rollers 31 which operate within grooves 32 and 33, so that the rollers of the upper flight'of the conveyor chain will be supported upon the lower edge of the groove 32, while the rollers of the lower flight of said chain will be supported by the lower edge of the groove 33. r p

By reference to Figure 3 of the drawings it Will'bG. seen that the conveyor 11 with its finger 23will move the plates or packsinwardintoone of the'units 24 positioned to receive the plates or packs at this point.

a For the purpose of operating the conveyor chain 26, thesprocket wheel'30 is mounted upon a-shaft-34a This shaft is driven by be-veled gears" 35 from a counter shaft 36, the

latter being driven by spur gears 37 and 38 from the shaft 20. The gear 38 is loose upon the shaft 36 and carries a clutch face 39 which is adapted to be engaged by a clutch member 40. This member is longitudinally slidable upon the shaft 36 and is urged into engagement with the clutch face 39 by means of a spring 41. Thus, the motor 21 will rotate the counter shaft 36 to drive the conveyor chain 26, as well as the chain 17.

The conveyor chain 26 is normally inactive, and for this purpose the clutch face 39 is provided with a cam 42. An arm 43 is adapted to be moved into and out of the path of the cam 42 so as to control the rotation of the shaft 36.

The arm 43 is carried at the upper end of a slide 44 which is movable in a guide 45, and this slide has depending therefrom an arm 46 which is pivotally connected to a crank arm 47. This last mentioned arm is rigid with the rock shaft 48 mounted in suitable bearings. Fast to the shaft 48 near opposite ends thereof are levers 49 and 50, which carry at their outer ends foot pedals 51 and 52 respectively. By depressing either of the pedals 51 or 52, the arm 43 will be moved out of the path of movement of the cam 42 so as to permit the clutch members 39 and 40 to engage and drive the shaft 36. Normally, this arm 43 is held in the path of movement of the cam 42 by means of a spring 53.

The sprocket wheel 30 is arranged at the discharge end of the furnace and positioned at this end of the furnace to receive the plates or packs from the carrier units 24 is the receiving conveyor 13. This last mentioned conveyor is similar to the conveyor 11 and includes a table 55 and a conveyor chain 56 which operates through a slot 57 provided in the table. The plates or packs are discharged from this end of the machine upon the table 55 and moved outward through means of the chain 56. This chain may if desired be provided with a finger or pusher similar to the finger or pusher 23 which is carried by the chain 17 The chain 56 is driven from the shaft 20 by means of gears 58 and 59, the latter being fast upon the short shaft 60 which provides a drive shaft for the chain 56. Normally, the chains of the conveyors 11 and 13 are continuously moving and the sheets or packs are placed upon the conveyor 11 and are carried by the finger 23 to the carrier units 24. As the carrier is stationary, one of the units will be positioned as shown to the left in Figure 3 to receive the plates or packs in a horizontal position. The carrier units move in a clockwise direction, so that the plates which are received horizontally within'the units 24 are arranged in a vertical position when they reach the top' of' the sprocket wheel 29. They thus pass through the furnace in a vertical or edge position until they reach the sprocket wheel 30. The carrier units 24 are then moved to a position to discharge the plates upon the conveyor 13, the plates sliding easily from the units 24 by gravity.

As soon as the plates or packs from the conveyor 11 enter one of the carrier units 24, the operator will depress the foot pedal 51 so as to withdraw the arm 43 from the cam 42. The clutch members will thus be engaged under the action of the spring 41, so that rotation will be imparted to the shaft 36 to drive the conveyor 12.

As soon as the shaft 36 has made a complete revolution, the arm 43 which has been returned to its normal position by the spring 51, will again be in the path of the cam 42, so that the clutch will be automatically disengaged and movement of the conveyor will stop. This movement will be sufficient to move the loaded carrier unit 24 upward and the next carrier unit in position to receive another charge. 7

The foot pedal 52 may also be depressed by the attendant to rock the shaft 48 and operate the conveyor 12 in the manner previously described.

The conveyors 11 and 13 may be provided with adjustable guide strips 61 and 62, respectively.

The invention is susceptible of various changes in its form, proportions and minor details of construction and the right is herein reserved to make such changes as properly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention what is claimed is 1. In an apparatus of the kind described, a straight longitudinally extended furnace opening downwardly at opposite ends, feeding and delivering conveyors at said ends below the openings therein, conveyor mechanism outside of and coextensive with the furnace between said conveyors, arms extending laterally from the conveyor mechanism into the furnace and movable theret-hrough including its ends, carriers on the arms to re ceive articles from the feeding conveyor and discharge said articles to the delivering conveyor, and means coacting with the conveyors, one for feeding articles into the carriers from the feeding conveyor and the other for moving the articles away from the carrier to the delivering conveyor.

2. In an apparatus of the kind described, a straight longitudinally extended furnace opening downwardly at opposite ends, feeding and delivering conveyors at said ends below the openings therein, conveyor mechanism outside of and coexten sive with the furnace between said conveyors, arms extending laterally from the conveyor mechanism into the furnace and movable therethrough including its ends, carriers on the arms to receive articles from the feeding conveyor and discharge said articles to the delivering conveyor, means coacting with the conveyors,

one for feeding articles into the carriers from the feeding conveyor and the other for moving the articles away from the carriers to the delivering conveyor, and controls for conveyors and conveyor mechanism.

3. In an apparatus of the kind described, a'straight longitudinally extended furnace opening downwardly at opposite ends, feeding and delivering conveyors at said ends below the openings therein, conveyor mechanism outside of and coextensive with the furnace between said conveyors, arms extending laterally from the conveyor mechanism into the furnace and movable therethrough including its ends, carriers on the arms to receive articles from the feeding conveyor and discharge said articles to the delivering conveyor, means coacting with the conveyors, one for feeding articles into the carriers from the feeding conveyor and the other for moving the articles away from the carriers to the delivering conveyor, controls for the conveyors and conveyor mechanism and means for guiding articles to and from the feeding and delivering conveyors respectively.

4:. In an apparatus of the kind described, a straight longitudinally extended furnace opening downwardly at opposite ends, feeding and delivering conveyors 'at said ends below the openings therein, conveyor mechanism outside of and coextensive with the furnace between said conveyors, arms extending laterally from the conveyor 1nechanism into the furnace and movable therethrough including its ends, carriers on the arms to receive articles from the feeding conveyor and discharge said articlesto the delivering conveyor, means coacting with the conveyors, one for feeding articles into the carriers from the feeding conveyor and the other for moving the articles away from i the carriers to the delivering conveyor, controls for the conveyors and conveyor mechanism, means for guiding articles to and'from the feeding and delivering conveyors respectively, and foot pedals at intervals between said conveyors for actuating the controls.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WALTER NEWBY. 

